How to Interpret Guardian Angel Messages in Nightmares

After experiencing a nightmare during which you feel intensely distressed, afraid, or sad,  you may wake up thinking that nothing good could come out of it. But as bad as nightmares are, they do have good purposes. Nightmares bring issues to your attention that you need to notice and deal with in your waking life. In fact, nightmares can be useful to help you process thoughts and feelings that you might not be comfortable facing during the day.

Sometimes God sends warning messages through nightmares and sometimes God sends guardian angels, who stay close during sleep, to deliver warnings.​

Holy Angels or Fallen Angels?

Nightmares seem like the realm of fallen angels, and fallen angels do communicate with people through nightmares, so you do need to protect yourself. Holy angels--like those of the guardian angel rank who care directly for human beings--may send you trustworthy messages through nightmares if they need to warn you about something important.

When you wake up from a nightmare, record whatever you can remember. Pray about any nightmare you experience, asking for the wisdom you need to interpret it wisely. If you can remember an angel or angels communicating with you during your nightmare, test the identity of the angel or angels through prayer or meditation.

Common Nightmares and Their Meanings

Certain types of nightmares are more common than others, and often feature images, sounds, or feelings that have symbolic meaning. Guardian angels may use those symbols to direct your attention toward something about which they're trying to warn you.

Common nightmares and their meanings include:

•  Being lost: confusion or conflict that you need to address.
• Someone chasing or attacking you: too much stress in your life.
• Being trapped: feeling powerless in a situation.
• Dying: loss or the need for a fresh start.
• Suffering an injury or illness: suffering loss or feeling vulnerable.
• Falling: feeling out of control in a situation.
• Performing poorly: on a test or presentation: anxiety about a situation or feeling inadequate or insecure about yourself.
• Showing up in public naked or dressed inappropriately: feeling vulnerable, exposed, embarrassed or ashamed.
• Having trouble with your car or other vehicle: frustration about challenges moving forward in life or reaching a goal.
• Going through a natural disaster: a problem raging out of control in your life.
• Experiencing damage to your home or other personal property: a valuable part of your waking life is at risk.
• Missing a plane, train, bus, or other public transportation: missing out on something you'd like to do or losing touch with someone in a relationship. 

Warnings about Situations in Your Life

God may assign your guardian angel or another type of angel to warn you about personal situations in your life that need to change. Those situations are threatening your spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical health. If you have a nightmare about being chased or attacked, for instance, that message may have come from God, through an angel, to wake you up to the fact that you're dealing with a dangerous amount of stress in your life and need to simplify your schedule. Or, if you experience a nightmare about being naked in public, an angel may have sent you those thoughts during your dreams to urge you to pay attention to the shame you feel in your waking life and pursue the healing and confidence God wants you to have.

Once you interpret the message in your nightmare, God wants you to respond to it by taking action. You can pray for your guardian angel to give you the wisdom and courage you need to respond well. For example, if you've had a nightmare about being in a disaster and realize that the problem is a certain bad habit that's out of control in your life (such as an addiction to alcohol or a compulsion to overeat), your guardian angel will urge you to take responsibility for your part in the problem, commit to turning away from sin, and turn to God as you work to heal and change.

Warnings about Situations in Other People's Lives

Sometimes your guardian angel will communicate with you in a nightmare with a message from God about reaching out to help someone else. For instance, you may have a bad dream about a friend or family member who is going through a crisis like a divorce, illness, or unemployment. That nightmare may be a message designed to urge you to pray for them and offer whatever practical help you can. Or, you may experience a nightmare about an unjust situation that upsets you--such as poverty or crime--and that nightmare's message motivates you to start volunteering time or contributing money to support the cause of working for justice on that issue.